


Blended

by theprincessed



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Family Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Married Couple, Meet the Family, Photo Shoots, Step-parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25972054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: Married successful surgeon Jaemin and architect Jeno use the opportunity of a photoshoot in their luxury home to introduce their "blended" family...“Will the baby be staying?” she asks softly.Jaemin looks at Jeno and he nods, both of them smiling before he looks at the photographer. “Yes, he's our son too.”
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	Blended

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! I have some chronic writer's block at the moment, so I'm back with something fluffy. It didn't turn out how I thought it would, but I still like it and I hope you do too. Married Nomin + kids, anyone?
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

The room is already abuzz with activity and it's all Jaemin's doing. It should mean he's in control, but everyone has their own jobs to do and he's just left to wait around. He should feel right at home because this is literally his house, privacy heavily guarded in the best area of Seoul, but he can't sit still since he's been left alone. Usually, he can be as quiet as a mouse by himself, but today is a special day and he wants everything to be perfect. It puts him on edge that Jeno is running late because that's _Jaemin's_ thing and yet he can't get annoyed because he has an important task as well, some might say a little tricky.

Whilst Jaemin paces back and forth and resists wiping his hands on the pants of his suit, Sunyeol emerges at the top of the stairs and stops Jaemin in his tracks. His breath catches as Daeshim follows behind his twin brother as they come towards Jaemin, both dressed to the nines as well. 

Jaemin reaches his arms out, but stops short of squeezing them in hugs as hard as he wants to so he doesn't mess up the hard work of the hired stylists. “Oh, my boys! You look so handsome! Wow, come here and let me look at you!”

Sunyeol preens and stands taller before his face briefly squashes into a scowl as Daeshim seems to trip over thin air next to him and stumbles forward, adjusting his glasses as he blushes. “Dad, stop!” he whines, looking away.

Jaemin sighs, used to how very different they are. Back in the day, he tried to do cute things like dress them the same or get them into the same hobby, before he quickly learned that the twins were having none of it and gave up. Sunyeol, the younger of the two by four minutes but way more confident than his brother, has the looks of a movie star and a bravado to match if he's away from his family for too long. At least he turns soft around the edges with his father and that's all Jaemin ever wanted; his children to love him as much as he loves them. It might not have been ideal, becoming a father to twins with his first love, but he could never regret how things have turned out, his sons recently reaching adulthood, making him feel as much pride as there is anxiety that it probably means he's officially getting old. It's fine, he and Jeno are in the same boat on that front and he can commiserate when his husband finally shows his face.

As if reading his expression, Daeshim pats his shoulder. “Don't worry, Dad. He'll get here.”

“He's already late,” Jaemin grumbles, looking at his watch again. “And that's _my_ job.”

Daeshim's pretty mouth twists. “I'm sure it's just...awkward with...her.” He jabs at his brother stood at the other side of Jaemin, eyes focused on the room instead of their conversation. “Right, Sunny?”

“Manners, Daeshim!” Jaemin clicks his tongue because he's not having their family be anything but kind, even to people who might not necessarily earn it. “It's more than okay to say her name.”

“Yeah, Dae, be cool.” Sunyeol shrugs. “Hey, listen – I'm just gonna – I need to - “

He gestures vaguely, but Jaemin knows his sly game because he clocked the pretty photographer's assistant as soon as she arrived and saw how Sunyeol's gaze immediately zeroed in on her with interest. He tries not to tell his sons how they should live their lives, but the impulse is so strong. Luckily, they're all saved by the sound of the front door opening and Jaemin sneakily grabs the back of Sunyeol's dress shirt to stop him from sauntering away to flirt as Jeno comes into view before a blur rushes ahead of his husband. Jaemin steps back from his children just in time to have an armful of excited daughter barrel into his chest. The thought of wrinkles in his brand new Dior suit flies out of his mind to be replaced with the warmth of Eunjoo's body and he laughs as much as she does, happy that she's made it.

“Hi, my little flower!” he coos, holding her tight and kissing the shiny black crown of her head. “And how are you today? Have you eaten?”

“Yes, Dad!” she chirps and Jaemin will always be glad that they let everyone decide of their own free will what they wanted to call him and Jeno once they knew they were getting serious. He can't deny the glow that erupts in his chest when those gorgeous dark eyes look at him and call him dad. “It was delicious and now I'm so full!”

“Is that so?” Jaemin grins down at her looking up. “Well, I'm glad. It's important to always have your 3 meals a day.”

Eunjoo puffs her cheeks out as Jaemin cups her face fondly, falling more in love with her everyday. It hasn't been easy, navigating blending their families together, but all five kids have made it worth it. Smoothing her hair down, Jaemin lets her cuddle him for a second more before Jeno steps closer with Jia trailing behind, eyes glued to her phone. He winces internally, reminded of how that thing caused the last bout of tension between Jeno and his ex, Soomin, but smiles when Jia remembers and slips the phone into her handbag, looking so much more grown up than her teen years. At least Soomin followed instructions to have them dressed in their best for Jeno to bring them over.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he greets softly, leaving Eunjoo with her brothers so he can reach forward and hug her older sister. He tugs playfully on a piece of her hair when he pulls back, cut into a sleek long bob and dyed a dark red. “Love the hair!”

“Thanks, Dad,” she smirks and Jaemin blinks because lately she's been using his name instead; a quirk seemingly dependent on her mood as she cocks her head towards the man standing next to her. “Jeno and Soomin _hate_ it, but at least you have taste in this family.”

“I didn't say I hated it, Jia - ”

Eunjoo beams. “ - I like it too!”

“ - and stop calling your mom and me by our names! We're your parents, Mom and Dad.” Jeno hisses under his breath, giving a quick smile to his younger daughter as she grabs his hand and wraps her other arm around Jaemin's waist.

Jia rolls her eyes. “Why? That's what they're for.”

Jaemin watches the muscle in Jeno's jaw tense up and a flicker of uncertainty cross Jia's beautiful tiny features and decides to play peacemaker, a role he's well versed in. He's always had a good relationship with Haeun, the mother of the twins, so the minefield that is Jeno and Soomin's complicated history was a rude awakening, but it's given him time to learn and grow. He can't even blame Soomin for everything. They all know that Jeno is hard to really get to know. It takes him years to truly feel comfortable. Jaemin has been willing to wait to have all of him, Soomin wasn't and that's her choice.

Jaemin pats his husband gently on his chest and smiles serenely. “Hey, can I have a word with you, please, honey?” Jeno nods, still locked in a stare off with Jia, and Jaemin sends quick silent communication to their sons to keep their siblings occupied as he drags Jeno into the kitchen to be away from the cameras and the lights and the heaps of clothes everywhere. Hands placed again on Jeno's chest, Jaemin feels the strength of his heartbeat slow beneath his fingertips and Jeno's arms slide around his waist to hold him close. “Hi, honey.” he grins, only half-joking.

Jeno looks him up and down before he sighs. “God, you look amazing. Hello, how are you? How has it been here? The boys okay? Sorry about Jia, I - “

“Babe, breathe!” Jaemin laughs, cupping Jeno's face like he did to Eunjoo. “Is that why you're late? Arguing with your teenager like an old man?”

“Soomin didn't have them ready when I went to pick them up.”

Jeno frowns and shakes his head as he recounts what happened, Soomin blaming an innocent mix up and Jaemin shrugs. “It's fine. At least we're all here now.”

“I know, but - “

“- and even when we're not,” Jaemin says over his protest, “we're still a family and we work things out together, okay?”

He touches his forehead to Jeno's and they breathe each other in, finding a moment of stillness in the crazy. Eventually, Jeno pulls away to kiss Jaemin, gently so as not to ruin his makeup. “I love you. You know that, right? I couldn't do this without you.”

“And I love you to the moon and back.” Jaemin answers easily, the same phrase since their third year anniversary date when Jeno took him “stargazing” at the local planetarium, guaranteeing a night sky without the smog they're used to. He's adjusting Jeno's shirt collar and his bangs when a thought pops into his head and his mouth tilts. “By the way, do you really hate Jia's hair? I think she looks beautiful.”

“She always looks beautiful to me,” Jeno replies, honesty shining in his smiling eyes, “it was just a shock that's all. Last week, it was only the ends and Soomin told me it was a wash-out dye because that's what _Jia_ told her, but clearly she was testing to see if she liked it before cutting it all off and going the whole way.”

“You're raising a rebel,” Jaemin teases, kissing his cheek.

Jeno's grip on him tightens and his cheek moves against Jaemin's mouth as he smiles. “ _We_ are raising a rebel.”

“I want to give into my stubborn streak and be a bit rebellious myself right now. “Jaemin whispers, content that he's calmed Jeno down enough that they can slip back into their normal flirty banter. “You look so handsome, Jeno-yah, I could eat you.” Their bodies are pressed so tightly, he feels the shiver that runs through Jeno and realises too late that he didn't mean anything specific by that, but Jeno tilts his ear closer and mumbles a questioning noise that means he wants Jaemin to continue. “You like that, huh? I still think you're as handsome as the day I met you for our first date. Probably the luckiest blind date ever.”

They're still giggling about the memory, heads bent closer, when there is the sound of expensive polished footsteps on the kitchen tile behind them and Sunyeol's unimpressed voice. “Ugh, really? So I guess I can tell the others that everything's fine?”

Jaemin smiles at their son from over Jeno's shoulder. “Of course, everything is more than fine. It's a special day! Your dad just needed a minute to calm down.”

Sunyeol looks like he's about to mention Jaemin's frantic strive for perfection in Jeno's absence that involved yelling and hand-wringing, but Jeno interjects with a pouty “hey!” that makes Jaemin laugh. Instead of trying to give his reasons (because Jeno knows he's right), he grabs his husband's hand and they follow Sunyeol back into the living room, which has been steadily tidied and transformed into the set for their photoshoot. After some long discussions, Jaemin and Jeno both agreed it would be nice to be involved in something positive like this. Jaemin would've liked to have photographed the spread himself, but Jeno insisted he be _in_ the pictures with them, so he'd compromised and given the magazine involved a selection of candids he'd taken over the last five years instead to feature alongside the results of today.

With a light and airy setup to match their home décor, Jaemin wanted them to look like a cohesive whole through their styling whilst also maintaining the aura that they've _chosen_ to come together into one big family. Dressed in a pale blue suit and Jeno looking like an angel in his white dress shirt and pants, a tasteful summery palette of neutral tones carry through their sons and daughters' outfits with Jia's dark red hair standing out. She might've done this to rankle Soomin, but Jaemin's a big believer in expressing oneself in any which way and he takes a moment to discuss with the stylist whether they can change a few accessories for all of them so they can match Jia, so she won't feel uncomfortable. It's a guessing game, but when he turns back to Jeno gently reminding Jia to live without her phone for one hour and take out the gum she's chewing, she sends Jaemin a ghost of a smile and he knows he's done good.

His smile falls when he sees Sunyeol has crossed the room to successfully flirt with the photography assistant, flexing his muscles and more than likely telling her some anecdote about the last movie set he was on, and Jaemin is about to intervene with an apology when Jeno looks over his shoulder. He grins knowingly at the same time as Eunjoo does and Jaemin is struck by how their little girl has her father's smile, creased eyes and all. The sight immediately puts him at ease and his movement back towards them must catch Sunyeol's attention because he scrambles to join them, a surprising faint blush reddening his ears as he fiddles with his suspenders with Daeshim making sure his glasses are smudge free beside him. Part of Jaemin wishes Jeno wasn't wearing his contact lenses this afternoon, but there's no time left to suggest for him to go and get his own glasses from their bedroom upstairs because the photographer is ready. 

Rather than the room falling silent as they settle into position in front of the open French doors which gives a peek of the garden, there is the sounds of equipment and of chatter, both here and coming from the kitchen as noise and the smell of food is being prepared for either a break or when the shoot is finished. They're being well looked after and Jaemin wonders if this is what it feels like for Chenle, Mark and Donghyuck, Jeno's childhood friend from elementary school, in their solo idol, producer and musical actor schedules respectively, who they haven't been able to see for a short while because they're busy in showbiz and he and Jeno both have demanding careers themselves. 

“I feel like your uncles right now,” he jokes as a hairstylist adjusts Jaemin's dark bangs for him.

Sunyeol brazenly yawns then instantly puffs up his chest when the assistant ducks in to play with the lighting. “Can we not call them that anymore? They're not even related to us,”

“Hey, we're a family no matter what. Your Uncle Donghyuck especially won't like hearing you say that. You know how much he loves you kids.”

It's this kind of normal conversation that makes Jaemin glad that his sons managed to find a gap in their lives at university to be able to participate in this too and he revels in the feel of them, Daeshim next to him with Eunjoo pressed against him on the other side and Sunyeol next to his brother, smouldering naturally at the camera. With Jia perched elegantly beside her younger sister, Jeno has been relegated to sit on the carpet for some of the poses. Jaemin can smell his clean, refreshing scent as he stays close by, his forearm automatically laid over Jaemin's thigh as the slight breeze from outside ruffles the drapes put up especially behind them. Jeno looks so good that in between one pose and the next, Jaemin can't resist tapping him on the shoulder and when his husband looks up curiously, head rested in his hand, Jaemin bends to kiss him chastely. The kids groan theatrically except Eunjoo who claps, giggling, as Jaemin straightens, his thumb swiping fondly at the lipstick smear below Jeno's lower lip.

“What was that for?” Jeno murmurs, starry-eyed. “Not that I'm complaining, of course, sweetheart.”

Jaemin shrugs, clearing his throat because suddenly he feels shy. “Just a thank you. You've worked hard already today.” Jia nods emphatically, but Jeno warns her with a look. No doubt Jaemin will get the full story of what happened with Soomin when they're getting ready for bed tonight. Jaemin is the patient sort, so he changes the subject swiftly. The last thing they need is Jeno taking exception to one of Jia's cutting surly remarks and their daughter storming off in the middle of the photoshoot. “Hm, actually! Speaking of hard work, how's the latest piece you commissioned Renjun to paint coming along?”

“I have no idea,” Jeno laughs, squeezing Jaemin's thigh in silent thanks. “It's for _my_ office, but he won't let me see it until it's finished.”

“Ah, the artist's prerogative,” he nods, talking like he knows all about the creative industries when he really doesn't.

Their banter over their mutual friend's quirks ends when suddenly a cry crackles through the baby monitor stationed on the mantlepiece. Jaemin's eyes instantly dart towards it before Jeno gets to his feet and someone scurries into the nursery as the cries become louder and more urgent. Eunjoo's eyes shining with excitement center him a little, so that Jaemin is able to wait until their nanny's English accent can be heard on the monitor and her figure is seen gathering the baby into her arms, hushing the bundle gently. Still, Jaemin is relieved when she emerges with him and as Eunjoo takes a sneaky candy from a fond crew member and Jia asks the makeup artist for more eyeliner, the nanny carefully hands Jaemin his and Jeno's third son, thus completing the picture of their family. At 1 year and 3 months old, Jaemin was okay with the idea that Haneul might sleep through everything unaware and not even appear in the article, depicting the modern face of Korean life (according to the editor). 

Park Jisung, Jaemin's long-time friend, had been approached by the magazine first to feature him and the success story of his dance academy. Whilst doing his interview and ever self-effacing, Jisung had shyly told them he still didn't feel like he deserved such attention, especially when he's spent years outside of dance surrounded by his super intelligent, talented and creative group of friends. Fast forward a few weeks and Jaemin's receptionist received a call, asking politely to speak to “the best orthopaedic spinal surgeon in the world”, apparently. Word got around quickly in their circle after that, with Donghyuck on FaceTime to Jaemin during rehearsals for his latest musical simply to laugh at Jisung's anxiety-induced hyperbole, his idol boyfriend Mark joining in somewhere out of shot because Donghyuck was a known mischievous influence on everyone who met him.

An unhappy whimper draws Jaemin back to Haneul held in his arms and Jeno squeezes in to sit between his husband and Eunjoo, to ease his numb body from the floor and to be near to their newborn son. Adopted from an agency in Hapjeong, it's been a busy few weeks in the Na-Lee household as they finalised everything whilst Jaemin continued to pull long shifts at the hospital and Jeno worked out a better joint custody agreement with Soomin for the girls and cut back on his working hours at the architecture firm, making sure no one would feel abandoned by a new baby coming into the mix. It's already been more joyous than Jaemin could've imagined, caring for their son with his husband whom he adores and he can't help how his smile widens when Haneul pulls through the hazy fog of his latest nap and his dark eyes blink up at his fathers, their own piece of Heaven.

“Hi, baby,” Jaemin coos down at him dressed in his pale green babygrow. He hears Jeno whisper a thanks in English to their nanny and her timid Korean response, but he only has eyes for Haneul, using the term of endearment that he stopped Jeno or him from saying once they knew they were able to adopt so it wouldn't get frustrating and confusing who he was referring to. “Did you have a nice nap? Oh, there we go,” he adds as Haneul yawns, “that was such a big yawn, my sleepy baby. Everyone's here to see you, y'know?”

Jaemin moves him up to kiss his round little cheek, briefly inhaling his baby soft smell, then to swap him from one arm to the other to face Jeno, watching his expression melt fondly. “Haneul-ah,” he calls softly, reaching to smooth his big hand over his tiny dark head, “Daddy missed you so much.”

Too focused on their son, Jaemin feels Jeno's hand come to the nape of his neck and he tilts his face towards Jeno, accepting the chaste kiss returned to him from earlier. This time, their older children are also too enamoured with their new baby brother to tease their parents for the public display of affection. They all seem to press closer, as if protecting Haneul from the world as he frowns and squeezes their offered fingers in his tiny perfect hands, so warm against Jaemin's ribs. Eunjoo ends up on Jeno's lap, staring at Haneul with widened eyes and the moment is only broken when the photographer edges forward.

“Will the baby be staying?” she asks softly.

Jaemin looks at Jeno and he nods, both of them smiling before he looks at the photographer. “Yes, he's our son too.”

He has a feeling these photographs with Haneul will be their favourite.

On an easy Sunday morning around a month later where Jaemin isn't on call for once, he retrieves their mail that includes a bigger package. He instantly knows what it is and rushes into the kitchen to open it, a big grin on his face.

“Jeno-yah, it's here!” he shouts gleefully as the magazine slides out of the envelope. Attached is a standard note of gratitude from the editor's secretary and Jaemin flicks through with excited hands to find where Jisung is.

Jeno enters the kitchen with Haneul strapped to his chest facing outwards because he'd been doing a spot of cleaning around the house since their other kids left again for university dorms and their other homes. Their baby son seems to enjoy being close to them (and they're making the most of it) but free to look around, his skills developing everyday. “What's here?”

Jaemin looks up, face brightening. “Hello, pretty!”

“Really? Thanks, but I just threw this on this morning,” Jeno quips, sniffing the armpit of his oversized t-shirt. “In fact, I think I got it from the floor, after last night.”

Jaemin blushes through his eye roll. Last night sure was...eventful; their first night since Haneul's arrival where they could do some “reconnecting” as Jeno called it. “I was talking to our son.” he deadpans and Jeno reels away like he's wounded before Jaemin puts his finger down onto the glossy pages of the magazine open on the kitchen island in front of them. “Look, the article came. Jisungie is still so, _so_ cute. I think he'll always be cute. I have to call him to tell him he looks cute!”

“Hey, we're in this too, remember?” Jeno slides his arm around Jaemin's waist and scans the article quickly, Jisung's face, the pupils from his dance academy and their family photoshoot along with other citizens with stories to tell staring back at him. “The kids look great.” He kisses Haneul's hand wriggling towards his chin then Jaemin's cheek. “And you're glowing.”

“Shut up!” Jaemin nudges him gently with his shoulder. “No amount of sleep was ever gonna make me look like I hadn't been snowed under at work and I wasn't even pregnant, so I can't _glow_ , honey.”

Jeno looks down at the crown of his son's head and grasps his arm, waving it towards his husband. “Haneul-ah, tell your daddy he can glow whenever he wants to because being a new daddy to you looks so good on him.”

“Oh, fine.” Jaemin suddenly feels bad for joking earlier. “For the record, you always look pretty and handsome to me.”

“Hm, I think you're missing one or two...”

“Don't think so.”

Jeno tickles his side, making Jaemin yelp and flinch. “No? So you didn't call me hot _and_ sexy last night, huh?”

“Okay, okay! You're pretty and handsome and hot and sexy!” he relents, laughing breathlessly and pressing close to Jeno's side so he can't tickle him again. He strokes Haneul's soft cheek with the back of his finger. “And our family is perfect - terrible uncles, complicated exes, testing kids and all.”

He knows from the happy look on Jeno's face that he couldn't agree more.

**HAVING IT ALL?** : _The new faces of a successful Seoul & the personal cost behind career, love & parenthood_

[...]

Someone who knows all about the challenges of juggling work, marriage and raising children is 44-year-old Dr. Na Jaemin, an orthopaedic spinal surgeon living in upmarket Hannam-dong. Married to Lee Jeno, also 44, architect and partner at popular architecture firm, Kim & Partners, and father to five children in total, Dr. Na most certainly knows a thing or two about trying to maintain a healthy work/life balance in a busy city like Seoul. Dr. Na also has a well-connected group of famous friends on hand to help, including choreographer and owner of DDA (Dream Dance Academy), Park Jisung, up-and-coming Chinese artist, Huang Renjun, and current and former idols, Zhong Chenle, Lee Donghyuck and Lee Minhyung, more commonly known as independent music producer, Mark Lee. Do they offer a practical hand or is it simply cheering from the sidelines when it comes to parenthood?

“Well, they're our children!” Dr. Na Jaemin laughs quietly, feeding a bottle to the newest member of their family, baby boy Haneul, as I interview them. “I trust them, they're great uncles, part of our extended family really, but like our parents, they let us get on with doing the heavy lifting, so to speak,”

“Yes, we're both used to it by now.” Jaemin's husband, Jeno, points out dryly, no doubt referring to their brood of four from previous relationships.

With fraternal twin boys - Sunyeol and Daeshim, 20 - and two daughters – Jia, 16, and Eunjoo, 9 - the Na-Lee household is a refreshing example of how “blended” families – the act of a relationship coming together with the addition of existing children – can really blossom, as long as you put the work in. At just a few months over 1-year-old, Haneul is the couple's first baby together, adopted from one of Seoul's top agencies because, Jaemin says, they “wanted to offer the perfect home to a child who needed us”. So, is pursuit of “perfection” important to them?

“In our jobs, yes absolutely,” Jeno nods. “It drives us crazy sometimes, but it's also really motivating and the key to working hard and doing better. For family...”

“Yes, perfect!” Eunjoo pipes up enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear as her sister, Jia, looks on shyly and the two brothers sit quietly, listening to their parents speak.

Letting his daughter have her moment to shine, Jaemin's expression turns somewhat wistful before it's gone again. “I love Jeno with all my heart and I would die for my kids, but we're not perfect. What I mean by wanting to give Haneul the 'perfect home' is one like what we already have – a home that's full of patience, self-expression, trust and so much love.”

“I couldn't have said it better myself,” Jeno answers, looking particularly lovesick at his beau of five years.

Pink-cheeked and pleased, Dr. Na has only one sentiment left. “We're like any other family. We've struggled, we've triumphed. We're perfectly imperfect. And that's okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies. Any kudos and/or comments are greatly appreciated x
> 
> [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/theprincessed) & [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/theprincessed) @theprincessed - Come chat to me (seriously, I need more kpop friends lol). :)


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